RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Application

Serial No. 60/628,055, filed November 15, 2004, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference as if recited in full herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to headbands.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The use of a headband for the purpose of holding a wearer's hair for convenience and/or decoration is well known. A headband may allow a wearer to keep his or her hair back and away from his or her face. Conventional headbands are substantially arcuate, which renders a fit that typically conforms closely to the head of a wearer. It may be desirable to provide a headband that allows for aesthetically pleasing presentation of the hair of the wearer by holding the hair back in a manner that allows the hair to "lift" away from the head.

Conventional headbands may also be relatively uncomfortable for the wearer because the side portions can terminate behind the ears at a tender region of the wearer's head. It may be desirable to provide a headband that is more comfortable for the wearer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide headbands that allow the hair of a wearer to lift away from the head. Further, embodiments of the present invention provide headbands that can include comfort-ear configurations to inhibit discomfort.

Embodiments of the present invention provide headbands that include a top portion and a first and second elongate side portion. The top portion has opposed first and second distal end portions and a surface facing the wearer's head. The elongate side portions are connected to the distal ends of the top portion. The elongate side

behind an ear.

The connection between the top portion and the side portions may be a hinged joint or a fixed joint. A hinged joint allows the headband to be folded when not being worn, similar to many sunglasses. The joint may be configured such that the side portions may angle substantially inward toward the wearer's head, thus allowing more space for hair and/or a more secure fit on the wearer.

Headbands of the present invention may include an earband that extends below a medial location of the ear of the wearer and may curve toward the base of the ear. Such an earband advantageously avoids a tender region of the head of the wearer. Alternatively or in addition to this feature, the earband may include a branch that arcs around the top portion of the ear of the wearer. The earband may include a resilient material or sleeve coating that may aid in the comfort of the wearer.

Another embodiment provides an earband that has a channel portion in the region through which a portion of a pair of glasses can pass when the wearer dons the pair of glasses over her eyes.

In some embodiments, the headbands of the present invention may be configured for different sizes and shapes of heads, such as for children or other persons. In some embodiments, the headbands of the present invention may be configured to simulate sunglasses, having the shape and/or appearance of sunglasses but without actual lenses.

Other embodiments of the present invention include display stands for the headbands. The display stands may be rotatable and configured to releasably hold the headbands in a position that makes the top portions externally viewable and allows the elongate side portions to extend inwardly into the display stand. Alternatively, the display stands may be configured to hold the headbands with the first and second elongate end portions folded against each other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a headband according to embodiments of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a top view of the headband shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a frontal view of the headband shown in Figure 1;

headband in position on a user;

Figure 5 is a frontal view of the headband shown in Figure 1 illustrating the headband in position on a user; Figure 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 7 is a frontal view of the headband shown in Figure 6 illustrating the headband in position on a user;

Figure 8 is a partial enlarged perspective view of a hinged and/or pivotal connection between the top portion and side portions of headbands according to embodiments of the present invention;

Figure 9 is a partial enlarged perspective view of a lower side portion of headbands according to embodiments of the present invention;

Figure 10 is a partial perspective view of another lower side portion of headbands with an upper branch according to embodiments of the present invention;

Figure 11 is a perspective view of headbands having a curvilinear three- dimensional upper profile according to other embodiments of the present invention;

Figure 12 is a frontal view of the headband shown in Figure 11 illustrating the headband in position on a user; Figure 13 is a perspective view of another headband with lower side portions having increased thickness according to embodiments of the present invention;

Figure 14 is a frontal view of an embodiment of the present invention configured to accommodate a child.

Figure 15 is a perspective view of other headbands according to embodiments of the present invention;

Figure 16 is a side perspective view of another headband configuration according to embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 17 is a top view of the configuration shown in Figure 16.

Figure 18 is a side perspective view of another headband configuration according to embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 19 is a top view of the configuration shown in Figure 18.

Figure 20 is a perspective view of yet additional headbands that include a channel sized and configured to accommodate legs of glasses being concurrently worn over the eyes;

embodiments of the present invention, in which the headbands can be displayed with their side portions extended; and

Figure 22 is a perspective view of another display stand for headbands according to the present invention, in which the headbands can be displayed with their side portions folded in.

Figure 23 is a side view of another headband according to embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 24A is a partial side perspective view of a headband with an anti-slip feature according to embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 24B is a bottom view of a headband with an exemplary alternative anti-slip feature according to embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION The present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. It will be appreciated that although discussed with respect to a certain headband embodiment, features or operations of one headband embodiment can apply to others. It will be understood that the possessive "his" or "her" is used only for convenience and no gender limitation is implied thereby. In the drawings, the thickness of lines, layers, features, components and/or regions may be exaggerated for clarity. It will be understood that when a feature is referred to as being "on" another feature or element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" another feature or element, there are no intervening elements present. It will also be understood that, when a feature or element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another feature or element, it can be directly connected to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there are no intervening elements present.

Figures 1 through 5 illustrate a headband 10 that includes top portion 20 and elongate side portions 30. The headband 10 may have a shape that is non-arcuate. The top portion 20 may include primary surface 20s that faces the head of the wearer. In some embodiments, the primary surface 20s can be a non-planar surface 20s. As shown in Figures 3, 5 and 7, in some embodiments, the top portion 20 includes at least one nadir region 22, on either side of which the non-planar surface 20s rises upward and away from the head of the wearer. This configuration may provide more space between the head of the wearer and the surface 20s, which may allow the wearer's hair to be lifted away from the head in an aesthetically pleasing manner. For example, in some embodiments, the outermost portions of the upper surface 20 and the elongate side members 30 can be configured to define a gap space of between about 0.1-0.5 inches, typically between about 0.2-0.3 inches. That is, the outer corner regions defined by the upper edge of the side members 30 and the outermost edges of the upper surface 20s can be configured to reside above the head of the user when in position to provide less compression than conventional headbands.

Also as shown in Figures 3, 5 and 7, in some embodiments, the nonplanar surface 20s of the top portion 20 may be configured with two generally concave side portions 20c that meet at a nadir region 22. As shown in Figures 1, 2, and 4, the top portion 20 may further be configured such that, when viewed from the top, the generally concave side portions 20c have a perimeter contour that widens out from the distal end portions of the top portion 20 then tapers in to meet at the nadir region 22. The perimeter contour may be symmetrical about the nadir region 22. In this embodiment, as well as in other embodiments, the headband 10 may be configured to simulate the shape of a pair of sunglasses. Specifically, in this embodiment, the side portions 20c may have a size and shape that generally simulates the lenses in a pair of sunglasses. The side portions 20c may be opaque, translucent or have other optical qualities not typical of sunglass lenses.

Another embodiment, in which there are multiple nadir regions 22, is shown in Figures 11 and 12. The nonplanar surface 20s in that embodiment, when viewed from the front, is configured with a plurality of upwardly oriented arcuate portions 20a that define a plurality of spaced apart nadir regions 22. Still other embodiments may include multiple nadir regions 22 between which the nonplanar surface 20s is configured differently, such as a substantially "V-shaped" pattern, a substantially "U-

combinations thereof, or others.

Figures 16 and 17 illustrate a headband 10 with another embodiment of a non- planar surface 20s which is provided by a three-dimensional braid configuration. Figures 18 and 19 illustrate that the top portion of the headband 20 can be configured with its widest segment 2Ow at a medial portion of the headband 10. That is, the top portion 20 can taper from a first width at its outer portions to the widest segment 2Ow at a center portion (in contrast to a narrower portion such as shown in Figure 1).

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, in some embodiments, when viewed from the front, the first and second distal end portions 2Ov of the top portion 20 are configured to extend downward in a generally vertical orientation a distance below the primary portion of the top portion 20. As shown in Figures 5 and 7, the elongate side portions 30 and/or generally vertically oriented distal end portions 2Ov of the top portion 20 may be configured with sufficient length to lift the hair about the sides of the wearer's face.

The elongate side portions 30 may be connected to the top portion 20 via joints 40. In some embodiments, the joint 40 may pivotally attach the top portion 20 to the elongate side portions 30, which may be configured to fold toward each other. As shown in Figures 1, 3, 5, 8, and 16, the joints 40 may comprise hinges 42 configured to allow the side portions 30 to swivel in and fold for compact storage when the headband 10 is not being worn. The hinges 42 may comprise a pin, an elastomeric segment, a bearing, an axle, or any other device configuration that permits rotation. A closer view of an exemplary hinge 42 is provided in Figure 8. The joints 40 may also comprise fixed connections 44, as shown, for example, in Figures 6, 7, and 11-15, in embodiments in which it is not needed to allow the elongate side portions 30 to fold.

As shown in Figure 7, the elongate side portions 30 may angle inward toward the other side portion 30 as the side portions 30 travel down away from the top portion 20. Figure 7 shows that this may provide more space for the hair of the wearer and may provide a more secure fit. Though Figure 7 illustrates this feature where the joint 40 is a fixed connection 44, the inwardly angled side portions 30 may be included in conjunction with any type of joint 40. In particular embodiments, such as illustrated in Figure 7, the angle "θ" formed by the side portions 30 and an

between approximately 45 and 75 degrees. In other embodiments, such as illustrated in Figure 3, when viewed from the front, the elongate side portions 30 are generally orthogonal to a line drawn tangent to the uppermost portions of the primary body shape.

As shown in Figures 1, 6, 11, 13 and 16, in some embodiments, the elongate side portions 30 may taper from a first width at a top portion to a lesser width at a medial and/or bottom portion.

In some embodiments, as shown for example in Figure 1, the side portions 30 can include a curvilinear earband 32. The curvilinear earband 32 can be configured to generally follow the contour about the ear of the user. As shown in Figure 1, the earband 32 may bend forward toward the face of the wearer. As further shown in Figure 1, the earband 32 may, below the bend, extend along a generally straight line that angles forward and downward. In other embodiments, the travel of the earband 32 forward and downward below the bend may occur along a curvilinear path.

As shown in Figure 5, the earband 32 may terminate at a location behind the ear that is below the outer opening of the ear canal of the wearer. The earband 32 may terminate at a region of the wearer's head that is proximate or below the bottom portion of the wearer's ears. The earband 32 may have a cross-sectional thickness that is less than the adjacent portion of the side portion 30. One or more of these features may inhibit the side portions 30 from terminating at or rubbing against a tender portion of the head of the wearer behind the wearer's ears.

Comfort to the wearer may be further provided in an earband 32 that includes a increased thickness region 34, as shown for example in Figure 13. The increased thickness region 34 has additional thickness relative to an adjacent upper portion of the elongate side portion 30. The increased thickness region 34 may comprise one or more of a coating, a sleeve, a casing, a shell, or simply additional material. The material of the increased thickness region 34 may the same material that comprises the rest of the elongated side portion 30, or it may be a material that has increased resilience relative to the upper regions of the side portion 30. Examples of suitable materials that can be used to form the increased thickness region 34 include, but are not limited to, any type of rubber, elastomer, foam, cloth, or other resilient material.

The increased thickness region 34 need not cover the entire earband 32, as Figure 15 shows, and may reside only on the face-contacting surface. The increased

and/or may be configured to increase the friction of the face-contacting surface to provide an enhanced grip, thus inhibiting slippage between the skin of the wearer and the headband 10. Another feature that may be included and that may aid in the prevention of slippage is the upper branch 36 shown in Figure 10. The branch 36 resides above the upper portion of the ear of the wearer to provide a more secure fit and prevent slippage.

As shown in Figure 16, the earband 32 may include a channel 38 sized and configured to receive a portion of one leg of a pair of glasses when the wearer concurrently dons the pair of glasses over her eyes. In other embodiments, the channel 38 may be on the outside edge of the earband 32 instead of on the inside edge as shown. The term "channel" includes openings such as grooves and trenches as well as laterally arched or curved segments that accommodate the leg of the glasses. Li yet other embodiments, the channel 38 may travel through the middle of the earband 32 rather than on the inside edge.

Another embodiment of the present invention is a set of headbands 10, each having a predetermined different top portions 20 span width, predetermined different elongate side portion 30 lengths and/or predetermined different other dimensions to thereby provide user selectable headband 10 sizes. A set of headbands 10 may include a first set of different adult sizes and a second set of different child sizes. An example of a headband 10 for a child is shown in Figure 14.

As shown in Figure 15, yet another embodiment of the present invention is a headband 10 in which the top portion 20 comprises a frame 2Of and first and second segments 23, 24 that merge at a generally medial location 25. The segments 23, 24 are symmetrical about the location 25 when viewed from the top and extend outwardly away from the frame 2Of at the distal ends of the top portion 20 but taper toward the frame 2Of at the generally medial location 25. The headband 10 is configured to be worn with the frame 2Of facing rearward, as shown by the direction of the arrow labeled "F" for forward in Figure 15. Such a headband 10 may, of course, include a comfort earband 32.

Figure 23 illustrates that in some embodiments, the headband 10 can be configured to angularly rise from a forward portion toward a rearward portion (typically where the frame resides) to provide an uplift feature. The angle of

typically between about 15-20 degrees.

As shown in Figures 24A and 24B, in some embodiments, the underside of the primary surface 20s of the headband 10 can be configured with an anti-slip feature 75 that contacts the hair of the wearer. This type of feature may be particularly useful for lightweight headbands 10 to help keep the headband in a desired location on the head of the wearer. The anti-slip feature 75 can be made integral to the headband 10 or formed as a supplemental component. For example, the underside of the headband can be molded with another secondary material having increased friction relative to the primary body material. In other embodiments, the underside can be embossed with an increased friction pattern, abrasively treated, or coated with an anti-friction material. In other embodiments, the anti-slip feature 75 can be provided as an anti- slip member adhesively attached to the underside of the headband 10. The anti-slip member(s) can be a strip or strips of material such as resilient or other increased friction material that may comprise neoprene, an elastomer and/or polymer, hi some embodiments, the anti-slip feature 75 can provide a tacky or slightly sticky tactile portion that can promote in-place positioning on the user.

The anti-slip feature 75 can extend across a portion of a forward and/or medial portion of the underside of the headband 10. As shown in Figure 24 A, the anti-slip feature 75 can be an elastomeric member that wraps upward from the underside of the headband 10 about a forward edge portion thereof. Figure 24B illustrates that the anti-slip feature 75 can be configured to reside only on the underside of the headband 10. Although shown in Figure 24B as generally following the contour of a medial forward portion of the underside of the headband 10, the anti-slip feature 75 can reside as a generally straight strip along a medial, or even rearward portion of the headband (not shown). In other embodiments, generally the entire undersurface of the primary upper surface of the headband 10 can comprise the anti-slip feature 75 (also not shown). In some embodiments, the underside of the headband 10 can have a discontinuous anti-slip surface, which may be formed by a plurality of spaced apart strips (not shown).

Headbands 10 according to the present invention may be displayed in a display stand 50. As shown for example in Figure 17, a display stand 50 may be an upstanding rotatable display stand 52 configured to releasably hold the headbands 10 in generally aligned vertical columns 54 so that the elongate side portions 30 extend

example in Figure 18, a display case 50 may be configured with discrete wells 56 to hold the headbands 10 with the elongate side portions 30 folded against each other and proximate the top portion 20 of the headband 10. The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses, when used, are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures. Therefore, it is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications to the disclosed embodiments, as well as other embodiments, are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.